Sculpture of the Month - Watch the Birdie!

Pino lives in the past. 

He is obsessed with all things classic. He drives a beautiful 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage, he only drinks very dry martinis and he wishes "Big Bands" were still around. 

Pino is also a photographer, and a talented one at that! There is nothing digital in Pinos' studio, no computers, no scanners, no photo shopping... his equipment is all original. 

Then there's his best friend Bruno, his only true companion, sure he is a bluebird, however, without him, no one would concentrate... So as Pino says, many times a day... "Watch The Birdie!"

Painting of the Month - Sea of Love

Sometimes, letters, phoning, emails, sms's, texting, twitting, facebooking and all the rest of that silly technology just cannot be as romantic as fishing!

Well, Steve, our Cornish fisherman, has been busy trying to snatch the catch of the day.

Lovely Miranda the Mermaid has been waiting for such a long time...

Free the Rashleigh!

On a gloriously sunny February morning, with wet weather gear in toe (as one must always think of the worst), gardening gloves at the ready and a positive mentality, we set out towards Catherine Castle, where hidden amongst the overgrown bushes and trees, we find the Rashleigh Mausoleum. 

Head honcho Neil, had organized for any volunteers to help "Free the Rashleigh" and boy did he pick the right day for it. The sun was bazing, the workers were all chirpy, handsome Andy from the National Trust appeared and all was good with the world. 

For anyone interested in a little history, The Rashleigh Mausoleum was constructed in 1867, as the final resting place for the local grand landowner William Rashleigh, along with his wife & daughter… and legend has it, that he also has his favorite horse buried there!

Whilst we were all up there: painting, sawing, pruning and cursing, the great old British cup of tea appeared…. being from Italy, we were hoping for a drop of "vino", however, the tea was just what the doctor ordered. 

So, when you happen to be walking along the coastal path at St Catherine Castle, look up and you will see the majestic monument... it has now been set FREE!

"Acqua Alta" Fowey Style

Seeing that we were not going to become farmers in Cornwall, we had left our wellingtons boots in Venice, thinking that there was no need for them over here. However, what did we know. I had been hearing talk about these unseasonably high spring tides, gale force winds and lashings of rain that were approaching and I thought, so what! Well, readers, mother nature does not spare anyone.
Fowey Town Quay and a few shops were inundated with cold, unrelenting water. I was quite impressed at how Fowey continued to carry on, just like Venice. We felt right at home. People still go to work and school and open businesses, they just slip on their boots, pile on the sand bags and put up the flood guards. The Cornish are rarely fazed, so what is a little water in ones establishment. 

However, I must let you all in on a little secret. My husband has negative SUPER POWERS. He can bring down space shuttles,   (more about that later,) break up couples he doesn't want over for dinner, and cause the demise of his relatives pets.

Notwithstanding, his nullifying nature really comes into its own, when adversely effecting the weather. I call this the Dino Effect! If we're in Australia for Christmas, Sydney's either gripped in historic heat waves or surrounded by brutal bush fires. When we went to sunny Miami, it was their coldest winter in 40 years.
(Dino's only been to Miami twice in the last twenty-five years,  both times the Space Shuttle exploded in the sky, I hope nobody from Nasa is reading this). The winter that we decided to stay in Venice, the Venetian lagoon froze for the first time in living memory.

And now, in Cornwall, the Dino effect has taken hold. We were here in the summer of 2012, and it was the wettest summer since records began. and of late, there has been extreme flooding all over the county, and this past month has been the wettest January in this soggy island nations' history.

I actually did not feel that it was so wet and miserable. I have been having far too much fun. Nevertheless, if you want to avoid future calamities, ask Dino where he will be!

To be or not to be?

January, so far, has been spectacular. Mild weather with lots and lots of sunshine (perhaps a little rain as well), great morning runs, gentle walks along the coast, leisurely "gig" sessions, delicious dinners and drinks with the kind locals, and cultural events.

Not only does Fowey boast The Fowey Festival of Words and Music, a fabulous art community, book clubs, very difficult pub quiz nights, and film nights, we have our very own drama group, The Troy Players. They are absolutely a wonderful group of people, all different and all bursting with positivity.

There were three viewings, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, in our grand Fowey Town Hall, and naturally, we went TWICE! The first and last night. It was fabulous fun, full of great energy, delightful volunteers, impressive food and the play wasn't too bad either. Just kidding. We loved it. It was a murder mystery. Who could it, have been? The loyal butler, the surly maid, the adulterous wife? It did not really matter, as we were all there just to have a blast. 

Being that my Dino is quite the show off, he went and spoke to the director and announced that he would be more than happy to get involve with the group. She welcomed him with open arms, saying that new members were always sort after. He has actually been told that he role may be that of a "gypsy"! That is right, Dino the gondolier, who is now an artist, is to be the gypsy! Naturally, he is perfect for the part. He looks quite suspicious, is a little short, has beady eyes and is the only "foreigner" in the village. 

the caption for our weekly newspaper, following the play...

Watch this space! 

Sculpture of the Month - A Little To The Left

Our friend Luigi, loves all things tall. 

He is thrilled by giraffe documentaries, is a true fan of skyscrapers, and finds old tin mine chimney stacks, simply fascinating. Luigi has never shied away from heights, and thus here he is, ready to leap.

Somehow, after, making his way to the top, he is now taking many factors into consideration... Wind direction, depth of the pool, weight of his shorts and should he have had that extra donut at breakfast?

He is a little giddy from the lack of oxygen, however, nothing will stop Luigi. 

Will he make it?
 

Painting of the Month - The Bowler's Holding, The Batsman's Willey

During the good old days of cricket, when one could smoke and drink non stop in the stands, when little children could run across the cricket field and give Dennis Lillee a beer, when the only colours we saw were white... a famous cricket commentator named Brian Johnston, affectionately known as Johnners, working for the BBC, made everyone laugh by citing the obvious...

Do you recall what he said?